Metroid Zero
by Maverick Hunter Zero
Summary: A cross over between Metroid and Mega Man X. Zero, X, and Axl fight off hordes of ailen intruders and metroids, while Samus hopes to collect a bounty on a cyborg, Zero's, head. Chapter 7 is up! I am back and ready to contiune on my story! Just as it shou
1. New threat and the 90,000,000,000 man

Metroid Zero Disclaimer: I don't own MegaMan X, MegaMan Zero, or anything related to Capcom. I also don't own Metroid in anyway. I'm too broke ass.  
  
It was a cool day on the barren earth. The Space Colony incident had taken its toll on the lush planet that once was the pride of the galaxy. The maverick Hunter, Zero, sat at the bar. He sat there, silent, holding his drink in its glass, watching the ice melt. His best friend the renowned Mega Man X, and his girl friend Alia, sat at another table discussing missions and what they would do this weekend. Zero sat thinking about what he saw today on his classified mission. A disturbance thought to be caused by rouge mavericks and techno-pirates had the Maverick Hunter leader Signas, up in arms. He sent Zero to a bunker with no back up on routine scouting. Zero, had no intention of dealing with mavericks and humans, with no regard for authority, quietly. The problem was, Zero found out much more than he expected.  
  
Axl, the newest addition to the Maverick Hunters walked into the lounge and over to Zero. Axl was much like zero and X. He had a passion for justice, exceptional combat skills, and his own method of dealing with justice. However, he had the quietness and cold personality of Zero he sat down two stools away from Zero, ordered a drink and sighed. Zero however, was tense. He held his glass so tight, it began to crack. His sensors detected something moving around the building slowly. He said nothing, only slightly unsheathed his beam saber. X and Axl, who were thinking of much more than combat, either love or comrades lost, were unprepared.  
  
Suddenly, the wall to the lounge broke apart, Sending debris and shrapnel everywhere. Axl was the first to be detained with an electrode net. X was the next, followed by Alia. Zero however sidestepped to the next stool, and crushed his glass in his hand. Maverick robots, simple construction droids, leaped in first followed by people wearing suits and strange masks. Technology like this had been seen by zero once before. In the bunker he had just finished up. The people spoke in strange mech voices.  
  
"Maverick hunter, Zero, Come with us now!" The strange enemies held up weapons that looked ready to fire something that resembled the plasma shots fired by X.  
  
"Who ever you are," Zero said, "I almost admire you. You took out the quick draw then the all heavy enforcement. You just failed to do one thing. Capture the most dangerous threat!" The intruders opened fire at Zero, while the construction mavericks attempted to hit zero with their massive strength. Zero easily dodged the mavericks, and quickly avoided the shots by the intruders. He kicked one construction droid into another, sending them flying into the walls then was behind the attackers before their eyes could even follow. With no mercy, and a flash of maverick strength and rage, Zero cut down the strange attackers. He quickly dispatched all remaining functioning mavericks. He quickly freed Axl, X, and Alia from their bonds and sat back down.  
  
A mask had fallen off of one of the intruders. It revealed something that made even Zero's stomach gyro turn. It wasn't human at all, it had claws, and skin that resembled a reptile. The face had mandibles, and eyes that now were a dull red  
  
X looked at Zero with confusion. "What are these... creatures?"  
  
Zero sat down. "They are aliens. I don't know where they are from but they are called 'Zebesians'. They have come here in hopes of founding an army and breeding something they call a 'Metroid'. They took interest here because someone contacted them. I don't know who, but I'm assuming someone insane and power hungry. I can't be sure of Sigma, but it's my best guess. How he found out about these things, I can only assume." Zero put a disk on the table. "I found this on a mission I was on today. Everything they plan to do...." Zero was cut short from the sound of marching and machines. They all looked out of the hole that had been created in the wall. What they saw concerned everyone but Zero. A literal armada of mavericks and space pirates came pouring over the hills. Hundred of thousands, possibly millions could be seen. Zero only said one thing.  
  
"Alia.... Go to red alert 5..."  
  
Roughly 350,000,000 light years away from earth, an insect like ship docked into a pace station floating among a planet and its moons. A figure clad in yellow and red armor stepped out of the hatch. The person then dragged from the holding cell two similar creatures and another strange one. It waved a cannon mounted on its right arm at the creatures slowly, growling they obeyed and went into a room where laser bars held them in cells. A humanoid figure but with blue skin and yellow eyes came out with a card looking object.  
  
"Let's see Samus... two Zebesians and a Keyhunter, a nice catch. Trying to sell Metroids again?" He began counting and swiped the card into a machine he had. "Here you are 20,000 credits.'  
  
The person in the armor took of its helmet to reveal what looked like a blonde haired human girl with blue eyes. In all comparison she was beautiful, but she seemed very serious. "A small reward.... I see my efforts are not needed as much."  
  
"Face it Samus," the humanoid said, "the space pirates forces are all but thriving thanks to you. Ever since you defeated metroid prime, the space pirates have nothing left. The Zebesians hat the key hunters, and vice versa." Samus took the card and went walking off.  
  
"I've fought these things long enough to know they don't stay down for long." Samus stepped onto her ship, and began to speed off. When she was at a far enough distance to satisfy her position, she set the ship a drift behind an asteroid.  
  
"Computer," she stated to the ship, "bring up all new bounties." The computer acknowledged and brought up twenty new faces and profiles. Ones that caught her attention were, Mega Man X, Axl, and Zero. All looked like androids. The one that really caught her attention was Zero. The bounty was an incredible 90,000,000,000 credits. That kind of bounty would be enough to put her on easy street for a while. She looked at the others. Axl was a mere 2,000,000 credits... then she saw X. 200,000,000,000! Incredible... but that one seemed a bit too anxious. To post a bounty like that he had to be extremely tough. Besides, she would have to fight tooth and nail just to get a glimpse of him from all the other bounty hunters. She thought she would warm up on Zero first. Then bring in the rest. By any means necessary.  
  
"Computer, bring up profile on bounty head, Zero." The computer searched for complete bio of Zero.  
  
"Zero, cyborg class unknown. Location: system 13Q-045, Planet: Earth. Zero's creator: unknown. Zero is a cyborg wanted for murder of many other cyborgs and organic life forms. Leader of a faction known as 'Mavericks', flawed machines that become violent and think all others should be destroyed. He is known to be a comrade with the cyborgs Mega Man X and Axl. Zero is wanted for charges of Murder on continuous counts, destruction of property, betrayal of organizations, and harboring terrorists. End Bio"  
  
Samus looked at the charges on X's profile. He had only seven murders and destruction of proerty. "I don't get it... why does Zero have a lower bounty than this 'X' but has more charges?" Oh well, a job's a job. Computer, set course for planet Earth, full speed." Samus went to her quarters, and lied down in her small bed pulling the sheet around her. She was cold and alone, just like every other time. Little did she know this mission would giver her more than just credits. 


	2. Tides

Tides  
No, I still don't own Capcom characters or Metroid  
  
"Zero, all the rookies are out on routine assignments, communications are down, and we only have fifty hunter and us against, what computers are estimating to be 600,000! We can't possibly hold up against that many." X yelled at Zero as he bolted down the hallway towards him. Axl joined them panting with his guns drawn.  
  
"Axl, get on the tower and try and hold as many as you can! X, get to Alia and tell her to bring up the base's defenses. We can't beat them like this, but maybe we can hold them off long enough for the humans and other hunter to arrive. After that, we shall all converge at the front gate of the base. If we die today, we die fighting!" Axl, Zero, and X all nodded and joined hands, then all dispersed in different directions.  
  
Zero went to the armament room and took his best saber and armor upgrade along with some energy capsules. "Iris... maybe this is it. Please over see this battle." Zero took his equipment and took off towards the tower. He climbed the towers with speed unmatched and finally reached the top. He saw Axl snipering off what looked to be the heaviest of the forces with unrivaled accuracy. Zero raised his Z buster and fired off two shots at the front lines, throwing five soldiers up in the air each time. He hit both the Zebesians and mavericks alike and, they fell like dolls, however they kept coming like a dark tide. Suddenly, the guns of the base rose up and began firing shots at the force. Hordes fell at the massive plasma, and for a moment, it looked as if they stood a chance. Then a wave of creatures, that resembled jellyfishes in a way, were released. They took the plasma shots and kept coming, only being pushed back in distance. The shots didn't even seem to put a dent in them.  
  
Zero and Axl flew down the steps and to the large corridor where the maverick hunter base's gate was attached. X was in his Ultimate armor, it gleamed in the light and his buster and saber were already charging for the battle. The three stood together for a moment as three warriors, machines capable of emotions, showing no fear. The walked to the gate, and then stood silent.  
  
"Hey you two," Axl said, "I haven't served with you long. But you took me in. You guys are my comrades. And it is the greatest honor of mine to fight beside you two." He looked down at his robotic feet. Was this his end? If so, he would die how he lived, fighting.  
  
"Zero," X expressed with a kind of bleakness. "I just want to thank you for sticking with me through all of this. I just...well...want to say thanks."  
  
"Will you two shut up already? We are the top rank maverick hunters. We've fought the army of Sigma countless times. This is no different! We didn't just give up then, and we sure as hell aren't giving up now! Now, enough of this sob story. I came to fight and destroy this new threat, no matter. You two little kids can go to bed, I'll fight them all myself. But I say we fight!" Zero drew his saber and held it in the air. Axl spun his gun in his hand and did the same. X only smiled and held up his X-buster. The gates slowly opened and the sounds of gunfire deafened them.  
  
"X, Axl!" Zero screamed. "Spread out and flank them!" The hunters that were available lined the walls with their weapons and fired off shots at the opposing force. The three were the only soldiers on the ground and began to walk forward. As they walked, it became a charge, that charge turned into a full on advance. Squads of aliens and mavericks broke away from the main group to charge the three charging hunters. Those who opposed Zero quickly fell, sliced faster then they could react as wave upon wave tried their luck. Those who went against X quickly were atomized at the blasts that came from his buster. Those who avoided the large blasts were either hit with the after shock of plasma or cut down with his saber. And as for the force that came at Axl were shot down one by one, each a clean head shot, as wave after wave fell at Axl the Red's pistols. The battle continued, with no progress even showing. From the looks of it another ten thousand poured over the hill.  
  
"X, AXL," Zero signaled, "Trump cards, boys!" X and Axl nodded. X's chest plates opened, as a megaton blast wiped at least a thousand soldiers and a few Metroids along with it. Axl's pistols glowed as he put the barrels together and fired a massive shot, having almost the same impact as X's. Zero focused all his energy into his fist and hit the ground with a shattering impact. Giant rays of energy bolted down, killing hundred instantly and forming a temporary wall. The three fell back into the haven of the gate and shut it behind them.  
  
"Zero..." X panted, "we haven't even made a dent. They just keep coming! And Axl are out of energy capsules. That last attack....really took it out of us. Zero nodded in agreement and looked around. He handed X and Axl the remaining capsules, and leaned against the wall in exhaustion.  
  
"Okay. New plan guys. I'll run for more capsules and any help that we can get. You two go back out there and hold them. Concentrate all fire power on those 'Metroids'. They are immune to the base shots, but our blasts are on a much higher frequency than the bases'. If we can get rid of those, then we stand a chance again. Now go!" Zero spun on his heel and dashed towards the armaments sector again, as the two went back to battle. Zero dashed as fast as he could. This battle would determine not only the fate of the maverick hunters, but the entire world as well. 


	3. Cat and Mouse

Cat and mouse  
Author's notes: I still own nothing of Capcom or Nintendo  
  
Samus awoke after her usual, small slumber. She went to her small lavatory. In this small room there was a shower, a small sink, toiletries, and a small cabinet. She went over to the cabinet and retrieved a small vial which contained capsules that resembled pills. She took two, and splashed water on her face from the sink. She looked at her reflection in the mirror above the sink. Her black undershirt and gleaming blue eyes were duller in her eyes than usual. Her mind was starting to become unstable. She thought of battle every constant second. That was the only time she really felt alive, the only time she felt worth something.  
  
"Get a grip Aran." She told herself. "You have got to get a hold on yourself girl! Just relax and breathe..." She inhaled and tried to clear her mind but still she heard the sounds of battle in her mind. Disgusted with herself, she sighed and turned on the water to the shower. She barely turned on the hot water. She removed her clothing which consisted of the black shirt and a white thong. She stepped into the cold shower and sat there, letting the cold water drip off of her body for what seemed like an eternity.  
  
"Destination, Earth reached. I will now enter low orbit sequence." Samus acknowledged this, dried off, and got dressed. She went over to the console of the bridge and programmed coordinates for the maverick hunter's base. However, something was not right. Her communications were jammed, and her sensors of the area were not responding. Also, sensors detected no other ships in the present area. This made here uneasy. Usually hunters would be all over the opportunity. Something didn't feel right to her. She decided to bring the ship into teleportation range as she didn't want to be detected.  
  
Her plan was simple. Teleport into the base undetected. She would then proceed to find Zero and eliminate any of those who stood in her way. It sounded simple enough. Little did she know that the very force which she had loathed all her life was mere miles away. She went to her room and suited up in her massive red and yellow armor. She placed her helmet on her head and walked to a small room in the very back of the ship. She stood on a glowing pad and charged her arm cannon.  
  
"Computer, set coordinates for the maverick's base!" The computer beeped for a few seconds then locked in the coordinates. Feeling a bit cliché, she felt she'd be a little corny. "Make it so!" Instantly her very structure was broken down and shot across the atmosphere into the maverick hunter's base. She stood in a long corridor.  
  
There she caught a glimpse of a red figure dash around a corner. "What luck", she though to herself. She quickly followed up the stairs and around the corner. Again she saw him dash around the corner and continued to follow him. This continued on for about six hall ways. She began to think that maybe he had seen her. She quickly turned on her cloaking device and continued the chasing him. It resumed as it did before. They played the game of cat and mouse which each had played so many times before. Each time she rounded a corner he would again round another. And as her suspicions were correct, Zero would be a difficult prey to capture. He had already detected her and was merely testing her now. But the real game was about to begin. 


	4. Never the Twain Shall Meet

Never the Twain Shall Meet  
Still down own Mega Man X or Metroid.  
  
Zero stopped at the door to the armory. He had three things on his mind. One was delivering his valuable supply of energy and weapon capsules. Two was getting back to the battle at hand between the new threat of aliens and maverick alliances. And three, the entity that had been following him ever since he had ran up the stairs of the base. He could not see who it was, or what it was either, but his sensors detected the movement and heat signature.  
  
Slowly, he stepped into the room and walked towards the far wall. Before the signature entered the room he dashed behind a compartment and began to circle around the room. His sensors once again, detected the thing follow him into the room. Zero began to circle around and activated his beam saber.  
  
(Samus)  
  
Slowly she crept into the room after Zero. Her arm cannon was ready to fire at a moments notice. However, since she was looking to collect on the bounty and not kill it, she had the cannon's setting down to level 6. At worst he would be burned to an extent. She moved into the center of the room. She looked around only to see three compartments and nothing else. Did he round another corner without her seeing it? No! She saw him come in the room. She was sure of it!  
  
She heard a yell behind her and turned around quickly enough to throw her arms up in defense. Zero had circled around her and quickly slashed with his saber. He made contact on her left arm and hit the cloaking device that was attached to it. Instantly she became visible with the naked eye once more. She jumped back before Zero had time to slash again and fired off a shot. Zero sidestepped to the left in time to watch it singe his shoulder plate. Zero stood in an attack position and Samus raised her arms in defense.  
  
The figure clad in yellow and red armor stood before Zero without faltering. "He must not know my reputation", Zero thought to himself.  
  
"Who are you?" Zero called out. Zero raised his saber to point at the figure and then sneered. "I have no time to deal with you. You must be one of them. I shall dispatch you quickly!"  
  
Masked by her suit, a mechanical voice called out from Samus power suit. "I am the one to bring you to justice, that's who! And you have no choice. You shall fight me!" She leapt forward trying to make contact with a kick to Zero's side. The crimson warrior quickly turned so that the blow landed square on his chest. He didn't even flinch from the blow and quickly counterattacked with a small punch to Samus's stomach. She was sent back a few feet. Zero thought to himself "they must have really underestimated me to send this weak of a fighter to eliminate me. "  
  
It quickly became clear to Samus that she had underestimated him. He was no lackey keyhunter that was for sure. She quickly powered up to her full strength, but only raised her cannon by 2 levels to 8. The then launched herself at Zero, hoping to strike him with her heavily armored shoulder. Zero, who this time underestimated her, caught the blow in the chest once more. He didn't expect the blow to be much more powerful this time however, and was sent back into the wall; crashing with such a force he left an indention.  
  
Zero was angry now, and the gloves were off. He looked at his chest plate and the massive dent that was now in it. He quickly regained his form, activated his beam saber once more, and became the professional hunter that he really was.  
  
"You caught me off guard that time. Make no mistake, it won't happen again!" He launched forward with a force to be reckoned with and his saber clashed with her extremely thick armored cannon. He tried to sweep kick her, but his kick was met by her own. Taking this chance, he then twirled and slung his leg at her other leg that now held all her balance. Samus came tumbling down, and Zero drew back both his legs to his chest and before Samus made contact with the ground, he launched both legs at her and sent her flying into the opposite wall. She hit with such a force that one of her shoulder plates cracked and began to spark. She quickly tore it off her suit and began the offensive once more.  
  
Dust and debris flew everywhere, clouding Zero's sensors and eyes. Suddenly the dust parted as a shot from the arm cannon sped towards him. He raised his saber in defense and the two energies crashed. They dueled for a few seconds and Zero was able to send the energy behind him. The mistake was that in doing so, he turned his back. Samus was over this opportunity in a second and placed her cannon at the base of Zero's spine. She hoped that it wouldn't kill him and fired a shot. Electricity crackled around zero and he screamed out in pain. He spun around and slashed at the face of his attacker. He hit with such a force that the helmet flew off of Samus to reveal her face. His eyes widened at the beauty that was before him as he tried to step forward in vain. Zero's vision began to grow dark and slowly he collapsed to his knees. Finally he fell over completely and passed out. Samus caught her breath and retrieved her helmet. It was slashed nearly in two.  
  
"He was toying with me!" She said aloud. "If he had been fighting to his full potential in the beginning, I would have sliced to pieces." She shrugged and thanked her lucky stars that he was merely toying with her in the beginning. She placed a small patch on his wrist and opened her com- link to the ship. She ordered it to teleport her and her catch aboard. Their atoms were broken down and sent to the ship. What she forgot however, was there was a security camera on the ceiling watching her every move 


	5. The Race to Find Zero

The Chase Begins  
  
X and Axl were continuing their fight on the battle field. The two continued to fight against countless odds and the total of how many they had ended could not easily be counted. But even at this, with the metroid total down to only a little over twenty, the main force kept advancing on them. Slowly they were pushed back and were forced to take refuge in the gate. Suddenly, Alia's voice was heard in both Axl's and X's com link.  
  
"X, Axl! Something terrible has happened! It's about Zero!" X and Axl had their suspicions on what was taking Zero so long. Although he did like to make an entrance, Zero wouldn't let them dangle on the edge like this. X and Axl fell into the refuge of the gate and opened the short frequency link.  
  
"Alia, what had has happened to Zero?!" X yelled over the link. There was static and he waited in anticipation.  
  
"You have to come here to see it!" Came Alia's response. Axl assured X he would cover for him. X quickly began to run to the control room and burst through the door. He quickly went over to the console where Alia was standing. She pointed to a screen. Alia pressed a button and instantly a video began to play. X saw zero enter a room and hide behind a compartment. He then slashed at thin air exposing a figure in red and yellow armor. The two dueled and Zero made one mistake, allowing the mysterious new figure to put Zero down. The two then teleported out of sight and left no trace except the holes in the walls.  
  
"Alia! I have to go after him! Without Zero, we don't stand a chance. We can't win with just the forces we have now!" Alia nodded in response  
  
"I thought you would say that, so I already prepared the new shuttle we've been working on after the space colony incident. I also locked onto Zero's signal. We may be without help, but that much I could do." X only smiled and kissed Alia.  
  
"And that's why I love you..." X said causing her to blush. "Axl,"  
  
X opened the com to Axl. "Rally all the hunters left. Get them to New Haven, the underground, human city. Yes! I have to go find Zero! Alia will bring you up on all the details when we have the time." X smiled at Alia once more and ran to the shuttle bay. He leapt across steel bars and frames because going through the launch pad would take too long. And we all know X, he never takes the path of least resistance. Just as he neared the top, a silver haired reploid halted him.  
  
"So X," the reploid said cockily" looks like you could use my help!"  
  
"Dynamo, Get out of my way!" X flipped over him and kicked him in the back of his head and sent him reeling. X once again sped off. Dynamo, his pride now hurt raced after X. X quickly went into the shuttle hatch and went to the console. Dynamo was close at his heels.  
  
"Yo X! Wait up!" Dynamo called.  
  
"Dynamo, Get out!!! I don't have time to deal with you right now!" X yelled furiously.  
  
"Now, now, now, X. Don't blow a servo, alright? I know what's happening and I am here to help you out. Scout's honor." Dynamo pleaded with an innocent face. X only scoffed in disgust.  
  
"Do what you want." He flipped a switch and a panel flipped out from the console labeled. He didn't even contact control for a count down. Dynamo sat down quickly as the shuttle began preparations to lift off. X had only one thing on his mind, finding Zero and making whoever took him suffer severely. Dynamo, on the other hand, had only the thought of finding whoever was behind this menace and eliminating them all by himself. He would do anything to prove that he was superior to X and Zero. He pulled the seat's straps around him as X gave the computer the final command.  
  
"LIFT OFF!" 


	6. Space cowboysHistory lesson

Chapter 6  
Space Cowboys.  
  
"YEEEE-HAWWW!" Dynamo shouted with glee as if he were a four year old. The Hunter's shuttle took off speeding into the atmosphere within seconds.  
  
"Will you shut up?" X said as he looked at the delighted dynamo. "You're just like a child."  
  
"Aww, come on, X. have a little fun for a change. You know what they say, all work and no play make hunters go Maverick." X Turned his head in distain. Why did he take this moron with him? Maybe he'd need the eccentric reploid as a distraction. Yeah. Either way, X was not going to let him interfere with this one mission: Finding Zero and who ever took him.  
  
"You know X," Dynamo said as the shuttle left the Earth's low orbit radius, "it seems Zero is more of a burden than a help to you and the hunters."  
  
"What did you say?" X said with annoyance in his voice.  
  
"We'll let's see. I pulled up his file..."  
  
"His confidential file!?" Dynamo went on ignoring X's question.  
  
"When he couldn't beat Vile during the first Sigma War, he blew himself up, leaving you to face sigma's horde all alone. Then on the second War, you had to recover his parts from the X hunters." X only tried to focus on keeping the shuttle on track and not listening to Dynamo. But what he was saying was slowly grinding down X down. "Then he only subdued the Zero clone, it was you who had to fight Sigma, all alone again. Then on the third war he only stood around "gathering intelligence" while you fought all the mavericks and Sigma once more. Then on the fourth, he was only chasing around his girl Iris, Man she was cute. But did she help you any? No! Then he died again when we first met... but after all. He is just an old model, obsolete, defect, built by an insane old human off his rocker..." Dynamo gagged on his words because X had burst from his seat and had him by the throat.  
  
"Make no mistake about it, Dynamo. Zero is far superior to you and any other reploid. He's the best hunter Earth has, maybe even better than Axl and I. He's saved my life and the life of millions of humans countless times. He's my best friend and if you ever talk about him like that again, I'll throw your lazy no-good worthless ass off this ship and into the earth's gravity just to watch you burn. So from here on in, you do not speak unless spoken to, got me?!" Dynamo gulped and nodded in agreement. He had never seen X so hostile before. The silence was interrupted by Alia over the com-system.  
  
"X I picked up the trail of the ship that carried off Zero, they're on the far side of Jupiter. I'm sending you the coordinates now. The shuttle should be able to warp you there in about four hours. Good luck."  
  
X punched the coordinates into the shuttles computer and confirmed with a "Rodger.  
  
"You know X, That Alia of your is pretty cu-"He was cut off by the cold glimpse X threw his way.  
  
Author's notes: Sorry I've been neglecting this story, I've been away for a while but I'm back now. I hope you all enjoy this and I will continue posting and updating. 


	7. When The Cat's Away

Chapter 7

When The Cat's Away…

(Disclaimer: I own nothing of Mega Man, Capcom, Nintendo, or Metroid.)

Scanning of Zero's internal systems went on, one by one until all systems showed an "ok" status. Finally, Zero's systems all powered up and came on-line. His optic sensors slowly focused and revealed his surroundings. Zero was bound to the wall by a thick metal collar around his neck with a chain attached to it and the wall and his hands were bound together by metal binders, which were thick as well, connected by electo-bonds. His saber had been taken and Z-buster had been incapacitated.

Suddenly, the metal door, on the opposite wall facing Zero, opened. Light flooded the dark cell where Zero was being held. Zero's optical filters adjusted instantly and he never looked away. The armored figure which had assaulted Zero and kidnapped him stepped forward from the light and closed the door. The person had her helmet back on and spoke once again in the cold, mechanized voice.

"So, you are the great maverick "Zero"." The figure laughed. "Not impressive. I've faced greater criminals and monsters than you… Never the less, your record is one of a kind and you shall face justice for your actions." Samus finished her little speech and began to pace.

As she finished, Zero scanned his captor in every spectrum and filter. He saw that the suit was actually quite larger than the user inside. The user was only around five foot, four inches and rather thin but toned build. What was more interesting was the suit's interface with the person inside. The suit itself was connected to the user through nervous and neural connections inside and outside the person's skin. Zero also noted that the suit's power core was located in the lower left portion of the back. After a few moments of silence and pacing, the figure spoke once again.

"You have nothing to say? Not unusual, in any case. I doubt a murderous fiend like you would have anything to say." Zero sort of cracked a malicious smile and replied.

"Tell me, who are you? Who are you working for and what are charges I am being detained for?" Samus was a bit dumb founded. This was not the speech of a wild and psychotic murderer. This was the way a civilized, intelligent, and rational person spoke.

"I am the one who will bring you to justice, which is all you need know. As the charges, you are under arrest for murder on continuous counts, harboring of terrorists, civil disruption, destruction of property, treason, and many others," Samus stated boldly. This however was a distraction set by Zero. By getting Samus to talk to him in her arrogance, he was able to retrieve a concealed tube from under the plating on his wrist without her knowing. With a quick turn of the pipe, a laser blade, similar to that of his Z-saber only smaller, sprang forth.

"You know," Zero said as he grinned even larger, "for someone so intent on bringing such a "dangerous, wanted criminal" such as me," the cynicism in his voice was heavy," you should really learn TO DISSARM YOUR CAPTIVES BETTER!" And with that Zero made his move. In One swift motion, Zero had broken the bonds on his hands and slashed the chain which bound his neck. Samus tried to react but Zero was one step ahead of her.

Before Samus could lift up her arm cannon to stun Zero again, Zero was already behind her. Samus wheeled around to have both arms caught in Zero's incredible, robotic grasp. Even with the suit's power, Samus could not break free. She was about to use her anti-gravity boost to slam Zero against the wall. However, Zero noticed the power flux to her legs and quickly pinned Samus to the ground with her arms behind her back and his laser knife just above the suit's power core.

"Move," Zero said,"and this blade goes through your power core. With a complete total power failure, what would the suit's interface do to you? Send a severe shock through your nervous system, perhaps a neural lapse? Maybe… just maybe it would even cause death due to the complex inter-nervous connections?" Samus knew he was right. A complete and total power failure would have dire consequences, but how did he know about her armor? Eventually she stopped struggling and rested on the floor. Why was such a vicious killer keeping her alive? Was he toying with her? None of this made sense. Finally, Zero spoke again.

"Now… tell me. Where did you get this completely false information on me? Why did you attack and kidnap me? ... Tell me everything."

(Author's Notes. Sorry, everyone, I moved and so it took quite a while to get situated and up on the net. I can assure that this story will now progress as planned with at least one chapter a week, if not more.)


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